Vietnam news in brief - October 15

Some 840 artistic products submitted to heritage painting contest

Nearly 840 entries have been submitted to the National Heritage Painting Competition, according to the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association. The paintings are made in various forms and materials such as lacquer, oil paint, wood carving and ceramics. The best ones will qualify for public exhibition at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum on Vietnam Culture and Heritage Day (November 23).

The competition was launched in May 2023 to encourage artists, especially young ones, to create fine art depicting Vietnam's heritage, cultural values, and landscapes. The winners will receive a total of VND960 million (US$39,250).

UNESCO to further support Vietnam with new heritages

The ancient city of Hoi An in Quang Nam Province, one of Vietnam's eight heritage sites recognized by UNESCO. Photo: The Hanoi Times.

UNESCO will help Vietnam assess the profiles of new heritages. It was learned at the 217th UNESCO session in Paris this week. The world heritage and cultural values organization promised to help Vietnam inscribe its heritage and provide more assistance to Vietnam to preserve existing ones. UNESCO also hoped that Vietnam would become a member of the World Heritage Committee in the 2023-2027 term.

Nguyen Minh Vu, Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that Vietnam will make its best efforts, fulfill its commitments to UNESCO, and further implement the Vietnam-UNESCO Memorandum of Understanding for 2021-2025.

Lower cruise fares, service fees expected to boost Phu Quoc tourism

In response to  Phu Quoc Island authorities on October 14 urging airlines and local businesses to lower their fees and create more events and values to attract more visitors to the island, airline Vietjet promised to find ways to reduce its fares for those traveling to the island.

Accommodation and travel costs are now the biggest obstacles hindering the island's travel sector. Since the beginning of 2023, the number of visitors to Phu Quoc has dropped sharply. On the National Day holiday (September 2), the island welcomed more than 62,500 tourists, down 26.5% year-on-year.

Vietnam Startup Summit in Japan 2023 connects two startup communities

The Vietnam-Japan Association of Entrepreneurship (E-Future) launched the Vietnam Startup Summit in Japan 2023 on October 14 to connect Vietnamese startups with potential Japanese investors. The summit featured pitch presentations from nine Vietnamese and Japanese companies in technology, environment, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud computing.

At the summit, Hanoi-based startup Do Hoang Holding signed memorandums of understanding with two Japanese partners, Hanabi Co Ltd and Sato Electrical Engineering Seveice Col Ltd. The event is part of a series of activities marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan.

Vietnamese products promoted to Czech community

The Embassy of Vietnam in the Czech Republic organized a trade promotion event in the capital of the Usti nad Labem region on October 13 (local time) to connect the business communities of the two nations and promote Vietnamese products to the Czech and overseas Vietnamese.

According to Ambassador Thai Xuan Dung, bilateral trade between Vietnam and the Czech Republic has not reached its full potential. Vietnam exports footwear, garments and textiles, aquatic products, and machine parts to the Czech Republic, while importing steel products and complete machines.

Submarine Internet Cable repair completed

The S7 line of the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) submarine cable has been repaired, ending nine months of instability for the cable line, an Internet service said on October 14. The complete repair of the S7 line also eases the pressure on domestic telecom companies.

The APG cable became operational at the end of 2016. Its lines stretch a total of 10,400 km with connection terminals in Vietnam, China, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. Since December 2022, faults have been found on the S6, S7 and S9 lines of the cable.

Heavy rains kill two, damages 1,500 houses in central region

Heavy rains and flooding have killed two people and inundated and damaged more than 1,500 houses in the central coastal region as of 4 p.m. on October 14. Critical weather conditions began on October 10 and are expected to continue for several days, threatening the local population. Late on October 13, the governments of Thua Thien Hue Province and Danang blocked traffic through the Hai Van Pass due to landslides.

Danang and Thua Thien-Hue Province had evacuated more than 3,900 residents to avoid potential danger and closed schools during this time.